Joe Torre Sends The
Right Message With Game One Lineup
Here is Joe Torre's starting lineup for game 1 of the 2006 playoffs:
1. Johnny Damon, CF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Bobby Abreu, RF
4. Gary Sheffield, 1B
5. Jason Giambi, DH
6. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
7. Hideki Matsui, LF
8. Jorge Posada, C
9. Robinson Cano, 2B
Let's give credit to Joe Torre for finally doing the right thing and getting A-Rod out of the 3, 4, 5 spots. If Joe had a little more courage, he would put Alex ninth and shift Hideki, Jorge Posada, and Cano up one slot each. But this would be pushing things with A-Rod's pride.
Even as it stands, A-Rod has got to be hurt. He has never batted lower than 5th in a regular season or playoff lineup.
The bottom line is this: with the Yankees on the brink of the best chance to win a World Series Championship that they have had in several years, do you think that Yankees fans would forgive Torre for lamely allowing A-Rod to get the most RBI opportunities?
Who would you rather see at the plate in an RBI situation: Gary Sheffield, who has only played a handful of games this season, or A-Rod?
This speaks volumes about Joe Torre's faith in A-Rod.
Who knows? Maybe this will take pressure off A-Rod and allow him to perform closer to his abilities.
Joshua
P.S. The photo of Hideki and Zimmer was taken on the day of Hideki's return to the field. It has no real relevance to this post. I just love it and have wanted to use it for a long time now. Two good men with respect and affection for one another. You can feel it.
2006 Post Season
Every post season is an exciting journey, but this time feels extra
special.
There are so many captivating stories unfolding before our eyes.
Will Derek Jeter continue to add to his post season legend as
perhaps the greatest clutch player of all time?
Will A-Rod finally show the world that he can perform well when it
really counts?
Will Chien Ming Wang begin a string of reliable playoff
performances? Or is he just another above average pitcher in the
regular season and nothing special in the playoffs?
How will Gary Sheffield perform at first base?
Will Hideki Matsui make Yankees fans feel good about Cabrera
returning to a bench player role?
Will Robinson Cano continue to prove that he is the best natural
hitter on the Yankees?
Will Johnny Damon break out of his end-of-season slump and be the
same player who killed Javier Vasquez's career as a Yankee?
Will Bobby Abreu continue his steady performance in the October
spotlight?
Will assassins-for-hire, Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina, and Randy
Johnson finally contribute to a ring for the Yankees?
So many good stories.
I love this game!
Joshua
This and That From Yankee Land
Wang continues to turn in solid performances, giving the bullpen
much needed rest in almost every game that he takes the mound.
Robinson Cano is proving to be one of the best pure hitters in the
game. There's a reason why Johnny Damon has called him the best
hitter that the Yankees have.
Bobby Abreu is performing better than anyone could have hoped for.
This man is like Paul O'Neill - he is best when he doesn't feel
pressure to hit homeruns. Abreu is a line-drive hitter with power to
all fields. He has a Zen-like calm about him. He always seems
relaxed with a super sharp eye. As Damon has said, it's like you
could walk up to him in the batters box, push him lightly, and he'll
fall over.
Melky Cabrera is one fine ball player. He has a wicked strong arm,
solid offensive skills, and most importantly, a lot of hunger to do
well.
Johnny Damon, Giambi, and Posada are hitting as well as they have
their entire careers.
Derek Jeter, despite having his batting average drop from the .350s
to the .330s, is still producing clutch hits when it counts, and
should rebound for more multi-hit games in the near future.
Mariano Rivera has not been overworked during the past few weeks.
His arm should be fresh and strong for the stretch run and the post
season if the Yankees make it there.
Hideki Matsui just got clearance to begin hitting off a tee. If all
goes well, he should progress quickly, possibly rejoining the Yanks
sometime in early to mid-September.
Last but not least, the Red Sox just don't seem to be talented or
hungry enough to pose a serious threat to the Yanks in the race for
the AL East Division title. Unfortunately for Sox fans, their owners
have a closer eye on the bottom line than George Steinbrenner does.
- Joshua
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